Dispensing mechanism for bulk material



w. J. KILPATRICK ETAL 2,575,920

DISPENSING MECHANISM FOR BULK MATERIAL Nov. 20, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS M11121"; :1. lfi'lpatribk BY Lo EButIer Filed March 20, 1946 1951 w. J. KILPATRICK ETAL 2,575,920

DISPENSING MECHANISM FOR BULK MATERIAL Filed March 20, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR; M'Iliam J [61 041122016 BY L'ao 12' Butler w. J. KILPATRICK ET AL 2,575,920

DISPENSING MECHANISM FOR BULK MATERIAL s Sheets-Shet s unal- Nov. 20, 1951 Filed March 20, 1946 Patented Nov. 20, 1951 DISPENSING MECHANISM FOR BULK MATERIAL William J. Kilpatrick, Detroit, and Leo F. Butler,

Highland Park, Mich.

Application March 20, 1946, Serial No. 655,808

This invention relates to dispensing mechanisms and particularly mechanisms for dispensing bulk material.

An object of the invention is to provide a sliding shutter controlling the downward discharge of bulk material from a container, to provide for the spring retraction of such shutter, and to mount the shutter on the container in a convenient, novel, and inexpensive manner.

Another object is to close the downwardly directed outlet of a container by a closure formed with a smaller outlet and held in place by an annular cap screw threaded on the container, and to mount on said closure a sliding shutter controlling said smaller outlet.

Another object is to dispose within a container for bulk material a rotative agitator for such material, to journal such agitator in an outlet formed centrally of a closure for a downwardly directed outlet of the container, to control the outlet of said closure by a sliding shutter and to provide an actuating connection from the shutter to the agitator.

Another object is todispose a rotary agitator for bulk material within a container having a downwardly directed outlet, to mount said agitator on a funnel shaped support having a central opening for the discharge of material, to control said opening by a slide disposed beneath the container, and to adapt the slide to actuate the agitator.

Another object is to provide an improved cabinet for receiving a set of inverted kitchen canisters and mounting them in a side-by-side relation, and to elevate said cabinet to permit insertion of a receptacle therebeneath to receive a discharge from a selected canister.

These and various other objects are attained by the construction hereinafter described and i1- lustrated in the accompanying drawings, where- Fig. 1 is a front view of our improved canister cabinet.

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the cabinet as adapted to receive three canisters, one thereof being shown, the section being taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross sectional view of the same, taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of a mechanism for dispensing material from said canister, the section being taken on the line 55 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view of said dis- 3 Claims. (Cl. 222-) 2 pensing mechanism, taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

Fig. '7 is a bottom plan view of said dispensing mechanism.

Fig. 8 is a horizontal sectional view of the dispensing mechanism, taken on the line 88 of Fig. 6.

In these views, the reference character I designates a cabinet, preferably substantially rectangular and supported at a suitable elevation by legs 2 whereof a pair is disposed beneath each end of the cabinet. Each pair of end legs are integrally connected by a vertical web 3, and a rod 4, rigidly interconnecting the webs 3, reinforces the leg structures and forms a stop predeterminedly limiting insertion of a cup or other receptacle 5 beneath the cabinet. The front of the cabinet has the nature of a removable door 6 affording access to the cabinet and having a pair of downwardly projecting pegs I on. its ends insertible in sockets 8 formed in the leg structures. For manipulating such door, it is equipped with a knob 9 in its central upper portion, and such knob attaches to the door a spring latch l0 adapted for snap engagement with a keeper II formed on the cabinet top. The cabinet receives a desired number of inverted canisters l2 for holding such bulk materials as flour, sugar, and coffee, downwardly directed outlets of the canisters being formed by circular necks H3. The annular shoulders I4 formed by the canisters at their junctures with said necks seat upon the cabinet bottom I5 marginally of circular openings It in such bottom through which the necks I2 project. The bottom I5 seats at its ends on shelves I I formed by the leg structures, and is secured to said shelves by rivets It or the like. Rearwardly of the openings It said bottom has a portion I9 projecting upwardly and rearwardly, in spaced relation to the rear wall of the cabinet. This portion affords support to walls 2t of the canisters which incline upwardly from the canister necks and extend substantially to the rear wall of the cabinet. The canisters are preferably of glass or other transparent material, and the door 6 may be formed with vertical slots 2 for observation of the levels of material in the respective canisters.

Describing now a dispensing mechanism, one of which controls the flow from each canister, a disk type closure 22 is held upwardly against the neck I3 by an annular cap 23 engaging external screw threads on said neck. These threads are preferably of the standard type used on fruit jars and the annular cap may hence also be of a port 24 comprises a. central annulus 24a journaledt;

in a central opening in the closure 22, and forms a funnel extending to said annulus'substantially: from the periphery of the canister outlet. Thus" said annulus forms an outletmaterially 'smaller than the canister outlet, and the support:24',i'5by :5

reason 01 its funnel shape is adapted ..to .guide. discharging material to said annulus. Fittedon the annulus 24a beneath the closure 22 is :a-ring; gear 26, held in place by upsetting the lower margin of the annulus. Thus said gear serves as a means for preventing upward escape of the anmp- 'lus from the opening in which it is journaledl. To

assure a driving connection between thegearand. annulus, a plurality of lugs 21', inwardly projecting from said gear, are engaged in notches of the annulus (see Fig. 8). The gear 29 meshes with a toothed rack 28 secured in anyv desired manner to'a sheet metalshutter ESL-normally closing the outlet formed by the annulus and having a forwardly projecting handleportion whereby itmay be slid to uncover such outlet. Said shutter'seatson a guide plate 3! havinga circularlop-ening 31a registered with the annulus 24a and having'its lateral margins 32 upturned andrigidly'attached to the closure 22,.the shut-. ter'being confined between saidmargins. A coiled spring 33 disposed beneath theguide'platenor mally' retracts the shutter, said spring 'havingits' front and rear ends attached respectively to the shutter and guide plate, and the front anchorage 33d of the spring serving as a stop'to limit shut ter retraction. Withdrawal of the shutter. is limited through engagement with the guide plate of the hooked rear end 34a of a wire 34'rigidlyj carried by the shutter. In order thatthe'shutter handles may not interfere with proper insertion of the canisters'and dispensing mechanisms in place, slots 35 are extended from the openings 10 to the front edge of the bottom, providingPas sages for said handles.

It will readily appear that through withdrawal of any of the sliding shutters, a desired amount of material may be released from any of the several canisters, the agitator being at the same time turned through a partial revolution to loosen the material and assure a. free flow thereof. By extending the lugs 21 some distance into the annulus 24a, as best appears in Fig. 8, said lugs exert an agitating effect proportionate to their length. Such an effect is desirable with'in 'the annulus, since the bulk material to be dispensed is under a maximum pressure within the annulus and moreover is subject to its greatest flow restriction. Said lugs may have any length and form suited to their exercising a desired agitating function. u I

What we claim is:

1. III a dispensing mechanismifor bulk material, a container for such material having a downwardly directed outlet formed within an annular neck of the'container, such neck having a screw thread and a projecting lug, a centrally orificed closure'disk for said outlet seated on said neck and peripherally notched to receive said lug, being thus'restrained'fromrotation, an annular cap: having a thread engaging the neck thread for .detachably mounting said disk on said neck, and a shutter mounted on the disk for opening and closing the orifice of the closure.

2. In a dispensing mechanism for bulk material, a containerfor such material having a downwardly directedoutlet, a closure for saidoutlet formed with a smaller outlet, a funnel-- shaped member withinthe container for-guidingdischarging material to said orifice, -an;agi-

tator carried within the container upon the-=funnel-shaped member, a shutter carriedby and beneath said closure for opening andclosing said smaller outlet, and means for rotating the'fun-a nel-shaped member responsive to --travel of the shutter.

3. A dispensing mechanism-for bulk material. asset forth in claim 2,.saidfunnel-shaped mem-. ber havinganoutlet portionrotatable in. said.

smaller outlet, and said means for rotatingsaid member includingagear and elements :fixing such gear on said outlet portion and extended into;

said portion to exercise an" agitating effect.

WILLIAM J. KILPATRICK.

LEO F. BUTLER.

' REFERENCES CITED.

The following references are ofrecord inthe file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

